The Miami Herald has an interesting story about Virginia lawmakers expressing a ‘profound regret’ for slavery. It doesn’t include any reparations, but does outline some other measures Virginia has taken in their effort to atone for the racist history of the state. Most interesting to me is the fact that this strongly reminds me of some of the more successful aspects of the Truth & Reconciliation Committee – acknowledging horrors of the past, rather than just trying to move beyond them by saying that they are in the past. There’s an agreement that it’s an important thing to discuss and admit, and an empathizing with those who were adversely affected. All of these things show stronger inclinations of healing and moving forward than ignoring negative history.
It’ll be interesting to see if other states adopt similar measures, and what any long term effect will be.